What is a Story Stem Assessment?
Children make sense of the world through stories. Give a child the beginning of one, and how they choose to finish it tells us a great deal. Here is how the assessment works.
How a child ends a story tells us how safe they feel.
The Story Stem Assessment Profile is an evidence-based, standardised method used to understand a child's inner world, attachment representations and emotional processing.
What happens in a session.
Children are invited to complete the ending of carefully designed story beginnings, known as stems, using dolls or figures. How they finish these stories gives rich insight into how they understand relationships, safety, trust and family dynamics.
The evidence behind it.
The Story Stem is grounded in decades of developmental and attachment research. It is used widely in clinical, educational and research settings across the UK.
How we use it at Oakdale.
Our trained clinicians use the tool alongside observations and parent input to identify strengths, resilience and areas of need. That picture then guides personalised therapy and support recommendations.
Not sure where to start?
Our clinical team can talk through your options and help you work out the right next step, whether that is for you or for someone you care about.